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Tasca M4A3E8

a build story by Dave DaSilva
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Comments
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finishing off
40 - 42. Some shots of the tank commander figure I did for the vignette. The pictures are not that great (he looks much better in person…) but I’m pleased with the way it turned out and I think it makes a good addition to the tank.

43 - 44. Here we see the base for the vignette. I used a standard picture frame from an arts and craft store for $9, though next time I’m just going to the dollar store, as they are like half the price there. The hill was built up with Styrofoam and the groundwork made from Celluclay. I then sprinkled dirt from the garden over the base. I sprayed on varying shades of brown to give the groundwork some contrast and to make it look more to scale. The sides are made from balsa wood cut to fit the shape of the hill. Some small balsa strip was added along the bottom to trim it off and provide a better finish, and it was then primed with Mr. Surfacer. The fence line was added and then the snow, a product from Hudson and Allen.

45 - 48. With the snow on, the foliage and fence line in place, and the painting complete, the base is more or less finished here. Looking at the reference picture, the real hill was more snow covered than in my vignette, so later on I added a bit more snow to it.

The rest of the photos are of the completed build. I am calling this one done. Time for the display case. If I have one regret with this project, it is that it took so darn long! Anyway I am pleased with the results. I hope you like it too.
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About the Author

About Dave D. (Totalize)
FROM: ONTARIO, CANADA


Comments

Peelou75
Outstanding job on these vignette David! What did you used for the grass? It looks very realistic.
JUN 21, 2012 - 09:30 PM
Pops53
An outstanding piece of work all round, not least in the finished effect. This diorama isn't overcrowded with extraneous stuff, as so many are. You've clearly taken the lesson that "less is more" to heart, with a very salutary effect on the finished result. Along with Jeremy Hengest above, I'd like to thank you for the exceptionally well-written and -illustrated build log. Also, I second Hengest's suggestion that, if you find this task to your liking, you consider authoring a tutorial on painting 1/35th scale figures. Your Sherman's chilly commander with his colorful scarf and his freezing fingers was all too believable, and almost too realistic!
JUN 22, 2012 - 06:14 AM
Totalize
Roman: Thanks very much for having a look at my Sherman project. I am pleased you found it interesting and worthy of your comments. All the best. Dave. Gary: Thanks so much for commenting on my project. After seeing your excellent work and following your recent build of the Greif I am indeed very grateful for your comments. Thanks Buddy. Dave. Jeremy: Wow a very big thanks to you for your comments on the build. They are very much appreciated. With regards to the build I wanted to be as descriptive as I could in order to share what little I know. I want to share my works with others as other do here so that we can all learn from each other and improve our skill set. In that vein if you believe it would be helpful to our community to do a tutorial on figures I shall do it. Cheers, David. Istvan: Thank you for viewing the build and taking the time to post your comments. The material I used is called Wildgras from Heki. Heki is a well known suppiier of model railroad material. The SKU number for this product is 1574. Cheers, David. Fred, Thank you so much for the very kind comments about my build. I wanted to do a simple vignette that was representative of the photo yet not have the natural environment around it overwhelm the model. I am very pleased you like it and I will keep endeavoring to improve my skills and share my efforts with those that might have an interest. Best regards, David.
JUN 22, 2012 - 09:28 AM
airborne1
Very nice work . Well done David, the Sherman has captured the scene just right. Michael
JUN 22, 2012 - 11:28 AM
Bizarre
I second the opinion about figures. The tutorial would be of great help!
JUN 22, 2012 - 11:35 AM
vonHengest
My pleasure, it really is an excellent piece of work. Truthfully I think that there is a lot that many of us here could learn from any tutorial that you made, or even an active build log. I am very serious about a figure painting tutorial. It is the Achilles heal to a lot of us regardless of our skill level, especially when it comes to painting convincing faces. Fred, Roman and myself are merely the ones who have openly expressed interest in learning from you. Whatever you choose to do, please don't stop sharing your work here Jeremy
JUN 22, 2012 - 01:00 PM
errains
Hey Dave! Congrats on the excellent execution of this E8 Sherman. You definitely captured the feel of the photograph. Your skills of building and finishing are most evident! Outstanding work! Best Regards Eric
JUN 22, 2012 - 10:47 PM
Totalize
Thanks very much Michael, glad you like the project. Cheers, Dave.
JUN 24, 2012 - 04:24 AM
Totalize
Roman and Jeremy, I will definitely look into doing a tutorial on figures. Thanks again for your support. Dave.
JUN 24, 2012 - 04:26 AM
Totalize
Hey Eric, thanks for having a look and for all your support through out the build log for this project. It is very much appreciated. Dave.
JUN 24, 2012 - 04:31 AM
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Copyright ©2021 by Dave DaSilva. Images and/or videos also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. The views and opinions expressed herein are solely the views and opinions of the authors and/or contributors to this Web site and do not necessarily represent the views and/or opinions of Armorama, KitMaker Network, or Silver Star Enterrpises. All rights reserved. Originally published on: 2012-06-21 00:00:00. Unique Reads: 21400